Millennium’s Winthrop Square tower is just one of a bevy of new projects have stamped their imprint on downtown over the last two decades, creating residential pockets in what was once an area, with the exception of Chinatown, solely devoted to business and commerce.

After gaining an exemption from Boston Common shadow protection laws and a last-minute redesign, Millennium Partners’ office and condominium tower received final city approvals Thursday.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved the 1.65-million-square-foot structure, which will replace the recently demolished municipal garage at 115 Federal St.

Handel Architects redesigned the structure after Boston Civic Design Commission members objected that the earlier version looked out of place on the 1-acre site. The final version includes 691-foot-tall and 613-foot-tall towers connected with narrow glass-enclosed walkways.

The BPDA selected Millennium Partners as the preferred developer after a request for proposals in 2016. Because of the tower’s height, Millennium Partners was granted a one-time exemption to state laws that limit shadows on Boston Common and the Public Garden from new development.

Millennium Partners agreed to pay the city $102 million up front, plus a percentage of condo sale proceeds, which could bring the total proceeds up to $163 million, according to a BPDA memo.